I am happy to share more about François Lutzoni, my lab’s PI, and his academic journey! Dr. Lutzoni is a Professor of Biology at Duke University, using lichen-forming and allied fungi as a model system for studying symbiotic interactions and coevolution. He is an incredible mentor, and his career path and passion for research are quite admirable.
Dr. Lutzoni grew up in Canada, and when he was 17 years old, he took an aptitude test to determine his career interests. His answers revolved around nature, so he ultimately took a three-year technical course in wildlife management. After graduating, he got a position as a technician at the Université Laval, a research university in Quebec, Canada. As a technician, his job was to help students complete research projects by assisting them in conducting fieldwork! Through this position, he grew his passion for nature, specifically lichens. When he was 21, Dr. Lutzoni had the opportunity to engage in a course on lichens while simultaneously working on collecting + identifying lichens.
As a technician, Dr. Lutzoni realized he wanted to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Therefore, he decided to take classes at the Université Laval while working. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Bio-Agronomy in 1987 and then pursued a master’s at the University of Ottawa. At the University of Ottawa, Dr. Lutzoni had the pleasure of working under Irwin M. Brodo, a leading authority on the biology of lichens. Then, after completing his master’s degree in Biology in 1990, he continued to pursue a Ph.D. in Botany/Genetics at Duke University, which he completed in 1995.
Post-Ph.D., Dr. Lutzoni worked at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. He asked the museum if he could complete a postdoctoral fellowship, and they allowed him to complete a 1-year fellowship at Indiana University Bloomington in fungal genetics. He worked for a couple more years at the Field Museum and was an advisor to two students at nearby universities, helping them complete research projects.
When Duke fused their botany and zoology departments into one biological sciences department around 2001, the botanists agreed to merge under the condition that the university would hire a botanist. Thus, Dr. Lutzoni was hired as a professor and has been here since 🙂
Cool! From wildlife manager to scientist! Sounds like a very cool lab.